Folk music has never been my favorite genre. Don’t get me wrong, there are songs I truly adore, and I know it’s a musical shortcoming of mine, but for me, so many of what are considered “classics” could have served best as poems.
“Apostrophe” is the second track from Superhuman Heart, the sophomore effort by Jed and Lucia. It was released in 2010 and is a mellow folkish number that goes well with a hot cup of spiced tea.
0 Comments
After a couple of Doo Wop hits with The Sensations in the late 50’s and early 60’s, Yvonne Baker started a solo career and recorded several sides for the Cameo subsidiary Parkway Records.
“You Didn’t Say a Word” was released in 1967 and produced by Kae Williams (a former Philadelphia DJ and night club critic who was also managing The Silhouettes). It’s a driving, action packed number, with Billy Jackson’s orchestration taking great influence from Monty Norman’s James Bond theme song. Yvonne Baker never received much attention as a solo artist on this side of the Atlantic, but “You Didn’t Say a Word” has aged very well among collectors of Northern Soul music. “Those say sticks and stones will break your bones but the nine-millimeter, it will bore your dome.” Such are the opening lyrics to “Tried By 12”, a song that documents the harsh reality and choices that at-risk youth and young gang affiliated men continue to make. It also took the underground Hip Hop scene by storm in 1996.
East Flatbush Project is actually the moniker of Spencer Bellamy, a Brooklyn native and former DJ for Howie Tee. The project was created to feature local Brooklyn rappers, and “Tried By 12” was the first single to take off. It features rapper DeS and a prominent sample of a guzheng, from Odetta’s “Sakura” which was actually an adaptation of the traditional cradle song “Edo Lullaby.” “Tried By 12” is a notable track for fans of the genre, and not just for its hypnotic loops, but also its chilling chorus of “I’d rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6”, a sentiment and reality still troubling our city streets to this day. I’ve listened to hundreds of new groups and songs this year and the one track that stood out the most, the one that I couldn’t get out of my head, is attached above.
J4 is a musical group based in Melbourne Australia, formed after three friends and their dog Banjo were locked down together in a house by COVID. “Fast Lane” was originally released in June as a single. It’s a sinfully catchy, driving number about fleeing from the congestion of city life to the country, but never making it. I expect great things in the future from J4 and don't sleep on them. Happy New Year to everyone! By the time this song was recorded, trumpeter and band leader Emmanuel Tetteh Mensah had taken a group of military musicians from playing local dances to mainstage concerts throughout Ghana and nearby Nigeria.
“Calabar O” was recorded in December of 1958 and was the first song from their second Decca release, A Star Of Africa. It’s a short, sweet and infectious number that showcases a variety of musical styles, and the sound that made E.T. Mensah & His Tempos Band so popular. We lost Mensah in 1996, but his influence on Ghanaian and Highlife music will never be forgotten. It’s been said that we should listen to our youth, as their advice, although innocent in nature, is often intuitive and insightful. Such is the case for Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s first single from their self-titled debut album.
“Lucky Man” was released in December of 1970 and quickly stormed the charts around the world. It’s an acoustic, almost medieval ballad that tells the story of a man who essentially had everything, then decided to go off to war and die. It was written by Greg Lake shortly after he was given a guitar by his mother and learned some basic chords. He was only 12 years old. I always loved this song, not just for its wonderful production and musicianship, but for its poignant lyrics, which when juxtaposed with the war in Vietnam, make them even more meaningful. After the demise of Sly and the Family Stone, saxophonist Jerry Martini formed Rubicon, a funk rock band who’s 1978 single “I'm Gonna Take Care of Everything” spent 11 weeks on Bilboard’s hot 100. After the demise of that group, bassist Jack Blades, guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy moved on to perform in Northern California as Stereo. They soon changed their name to Ranger and were in the process of recording their debut album for Boardwalk Records when a country band named the Rangers claimed a trademark infringement...
“Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” was released in December of 1982 and was the first single from Dawn Patrol. It’s an energetic track that features two different guitar solos (how 80’s can you get?) and bassist Jack Blades on lead vocals. It also helped put Night Ranger on the map as one of the up and coming “Hard Rock” acts of the day. Night Ranger’s next album would eventually stamp them as an iconic band and 80’s trope, with the hits “(You Can Still) Rock in America,” “When You Close Your Eyes, ” and “Sister Christian,” but for me “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” was their best. In 1994 I was playing in a group called Stillmotion. That fall, we had the opportunity to work with the indie music producer simply known as “Kramer.” He had recently moved his Noise New York studio across the river into New Jersey, and along with his assistant Steve Watson, had just finished recording - in his words - “three wonderful people from Minnesota.”
That group was Low, and those recordings became their first album, I Could Live in Hope. This album would help establish the subgenre “slowcore” and place these three musicians from Duluth Minnesota on the indie musical map. “Words” is my favorite song from that album. It’s sparse and dark and as honest as any song you’ll ever hear. Low’s drummer Mimi Parker passed away last week to ovarian cancer. From what I’ve been told over the years by fellow musicians who did play with her, she was indeed a wonderful and truly kind person. RIP Mimi Parker In 1996, as the Big Beat craze took off around the world, this song rocketed to #15 on the UK singles and #2 on the dance charts.
It’s a lively number with rumbling bass notes (you will need a subwoofer to really appreciate them) and although not considered classic Big Beat, it lightly touches upon many of the elements from that time period. This track also features a sample from singer Joanna Law’s cover of Ewan MacColl’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” She recorded that song in 1990 as “First Time Ever,” and it’s also a wonderful track worth checking out. |
Archives
May 2024
|